Saturday, 17 November 2012

I've never been a big skin care person!!! But I am aware that my skin isn't in the best condition and now that I'm in my 20's (just!!) I feel its about time I start taking better care of it!

Someone said to my mum a while ago "you spend a lot of money on make up but nothing on skincare". Which is true, why buy expensive paint to put on a poorly plastered wall? (A builders comparative, I'm a builders daughter if you couldn't tell!)

So I popped along to Asda and decided to pick up a few things from the nspa range. I was drawn because of the packaging! Pastel colours with a really simple design. It's a 4 step system with a few alternatives in each part. I got stage's 1,2 & 4. Stage 3 was either a mask or a facial oil, neither of which I'm a huge fan of!!

I've only used the products twice so far but I'm impressed!! For the price I got them for and the feeling they gave my skin its a win win! npsa comes from the number1 UK Nirvana Spa! Oooh classy!! ;)

Stage 1 - Melting Cleansing Gel - 125ml - £6

I was a little confused about what the purpose of this part was! I put the gel onto my DRY face and massaged it in in circular motions. It was clear and sticky. What was the benefit to my skin? It wasn't until I wet my hands that the gel turned to a creamy, milky, bubbly consistency! It felt soft on my skin and washed off nicely, leaving my face feeling moisturised and clean. Definitely worth £6. Plus its a pretty coral/pink colour in the tube!

Verdict: 8/10 - Purely because you can't use it on your eye make-up!

Stage 2 - Hot Cloth Polish - With Muslin cloth - 150ml - £6

I was really looking forward to this one!! I love the Liz Earl Cleanse and polish but recently ran out. At £12.75 (100ml) I was keen to try a cheaper alternative. Enter nspa!! I love this! From other reviews I've read some people don't like it as much as the Liz Earl. The only thing I prefer with the Liz Earl was the quality of the Cloth provided, but when you can buy these cheaply in places like the body shop it isn't going to stop me from repeating this buy! It left my skin feeling soft and nourished, like I'd just covered it in good stuff!! I found it to be creamier than the Liz Earl which was just a thick lump on my hand.

I'm very impressed with this one!

Verdict: 9/10 - As good as, if not better than Liz Earl but the harsher material of the Muslin cloth let it down!

Stage 3 - This stage was skipped by me!! I'm too lazy for face masks and get frustrated when it gets in my hair! The other alternative was a facial oil, which quite frankly scares me! I have combination skin so adding oil to it doesn't sound too hot! I may come around to the idea but for now I'll stick to what I've got.

Verdict: N/A

Stage 4 - I ended up with 2 products from this part.

The Brightening Day cream with SPF15 - 50ml - £5

This comes in a little hand size bottle with a handy pump on the top!!! The pot would be a lovely size for travelling and fit nicely in handbags. Its comfortable to hold and the pump gives you the right amount of cream for your chops! It has a slight scent to it but nothing that I could see anyone finding offensive in their little noses. I'm really bad with scents but I'd say it has a very light citrus scent mixed with some floral notes. Again, very light!! It soaks in nicely and doesn't feel greasy.

Verdict: 7/10 - I like it at the moment but want to use it for longer to make sure I like it and my skin absorbs it well!

I then got the Night repair cream - 50ml - £5

This is a slightly peach cream in a tub, with a similar scent to the day cream (please don't make me describe it again!! And the day cream is just white) It's in a handy little pot that would again be perfect for travelling! I was half expecting it to take a little longer to soak in as its branded as a 'repair cream'. However it sunk in nicely and by morning my face felt like a bubbas bum! It's a nice scent to drift off to sleep too as well, not a heavy cloud that will keep me awake for longer with every sniff!

Verdict: 9/10 - I've never been one for night creams but I like this one!! It smells nice and left my skin feeling like a princess! It only lost a point as I worry tubs are less hygienic than a tube would be! (Finger dipping and all that).

Overall I'm superduper impressed with the range!!! I'll keep trying them and may do an update later on!! In the mean time, feel free to read my other posts and comment below!

Thank you for reading! Let me know if you try any of these products and what you think about them.

Wednesday, 14 November 2012

I'm one of those people who loves colourful nails, sometimes with added glitter!

But my nail colour depends on 2 things:
1. The occasion & of course the outfit I'm wearing at the occasion!
And 2. The season!

Spring: has to be pretty pastel colours to go with all the lovely flowers that bloom & the changing of the weather. I love the crisp feeling of spring when you're standing in the sun! It's somewhat of an oximoron!

Summer: bright colours with added glitter for evenings out or weekends away in the sun! I love the bright colours that emerge during the summer months (even if we don't get much sun in London!!) Having nails that stand out has a way of improving my mood!

Autumn: The time for nudes & darker colours. I'm not one for wearing dark colours but in autumn I actually enjoy toning down my clothes & nails to be more understated & classy. Nude nails go with everything and always look nice.

Winter: I love wearing deep reds & purples in winter! Glitter is a must for Christmas and I think it's totally worth the mission you have to trawl through when removing it after the Christmas period! Berry & wine colours are my favourite for winter this year so far!

So my nails of the moment are a nude! I'd say a nude with a pink tone & a slightly glossy finish! It's the colour 'dress me up' from the China Glaze hunger games collection! Someone instagrammed a picture of it & I had to have it!

I've never used China Glaze before but I'm very impressed! It's only taken one coat to give me a really nice creamy, glossy finish that is so appropriate for both university & work!

The definition of me?

My confidence has grown over the past 2 years and I can honestly say I'm happy being me... I'll be the first to admit I'm far from perfect but who's the unlucky being who gets to define 'perfection'?
I'm a real girl living in London, studying my butt off and having a good time with amazing friends, family and boyfriend.
I have good days & bad days but all are my days so join me on my journey I'm sure we'll get on swimmingly!
xoxox